


Odd Beginnings

by star_named_andy



Series: Paws-itivity [2]
Category: The Hobbit (1977), The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BardXThranduil, Barduil - Freeform, M/M, cat!Bard, kitty!Bard, thranduilxbard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-02
Updated: 2015-06-02
Packaged: 2018-04-02 11:20:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4058098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/star_named_andy/pseuds/star_named_andy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Despite Thranduil's occasional melancholy, things seem to be looking up for him...until he makes a certain discovery that disturbs his routine life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Odd Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so Bard's situation doesn't really get explained here, but you guys are smart and can probably guess what direction this is headed in! Enjoy :D  
> (Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, or any of its characters or content.)

The car ride home consisted of the radio playing lowly, Legolas showering the new cat with praise and affection, and Thranduil smiling from time to time. The animal seemed very calm in Legolas’ lap – how could he not be? Legolas was so tender and loving without being smothering, so the cat was probably in perfect bliss. Thranduil only hoped he would remain sweet and calm. The last thing he wanted or needed in the house, or in his life in general, was a troublemaker.

Legolas carried a small kennel they’d purchased in one hand and the end of Bard’s leash in the other as he neared the front door, chattering away to the cat and letting him stop to poke his head in the flowers along the walkway.

“Careful. I don’t want him to get stung by a bee the minute he gets here.” Thranduil called in warning and Legolas nodded.

“I know, dad, I know.”

Legolas guided Bard away from the flowers and the cat didn’t give any struggle as the front door was unlocked, opened, and he was led through it. Thranduil followed behind with the rest of the necessary cat survival items in his arms and slipped his shoes off on the mat beside the door as he entered. He sighed through his smile as he saw a pair was missing.

“If you made a trail with your shoes, clean it up, will you?” Thranduil called gently.

“Sorry! I’ll take care of it! Do you think we should feed him now?” his son spoke.

“I suppose.”

Thranduil made his way through the lightly decorated foyer past the curved staircase on his left and the small alcove on his right and strode down the hall through the arched doorway that led to all the other rooms of the house that were open to visitors. The dining room and kitchen were both on the right and the bathroom and living room were on the left, each room spacious and neat just as Thranduil and Legolas liked it. Neither of them spent too much time downstairs without company unless they simply wanted a change of scenery while in the house, for their private rooms, studies, and recreational rooms were upstairs. Thranduil was happy with the house the way it was set up, for there was always a proper place for his business partners, for Legolas’ young friends, and for anyone else like family that would come over. The back yard was Thranduil’s personal favorite; they lived in an unpopulated area with plenty of trees to speak of and beyond their pool, modest gardens, and green lawn, there was a forest that spanned far and wide behind the house. They often times had animals strolling around the house, but none of them were bothersome. It was a quiet place and a peaceful one to live in and no matter how many people or creatures came through his beautiful little resting place, it was nothing without Legolas there.

Thranduil turned into the kitchen and set the bags he carried onto the countertop and then loosened his tie. Legolas came in carrying Bard and waved his arm in a showman like fashion.

“This is the kitchen. This is where we make the food and eat. Sometimes we eat in the big dining room I showed you, but that’s usually only if we have people over.” He explained and Thranduil chuckled as he plucked a packet of tealeaves from the tea box.

“Giving him the grand tour?”

“Yes. I hope it’s not too big for him. I haven’t even brought him upstairs yet. I don’t want him getting lost and confused.”

“He will get used to it. The house is not too monstrous in size, after all.”

“For a tall Amazonian like you, maybe, but Bard is just a tiny, wittle kitty.” Legolas kissed the cat’s head before setting him down on the floor.

“He has a bell, so he’ll never be too lost.” Thranduil said, hearing the bell tinkle as he mentioned it. “Just make sure he knows where the litter box is.” Thranduil grabbed himself a mug from the cupboard and when he turned to retrieve the tea kettle, Legolas was standing there in front of him with it in his hand. “Oh, thank you, Legolas.”

“Mmhm.” Legolas nodded and handed over the kettle. Thranduil turned his back to his son to lean over the sink and fill the kettle with water. He felt arms wrap around him from behind and he smiled. “Thank you, dad. I love him. I love you.”

“You’re welcome. I love you too, little leaf. Just thank me by taking good care of him, hm?”

“I will, don’t worry.”

“You can start by getting him off the table.”

Legolas broke away from the embrace and sped over to the table that Bard was indeed standing on top of. He lifted Bard hurriedly and flashed a sheepish grin at his father who was smirking and shaking his head at the scene.

“No, Bard. That’s bad. No climbing on tabletops, okay?” Legolas spoke and put him back down on the floor. He walked over to the bags of cat goodies, peering at Bard as he did so. He started pulling everything out and setting everything up: he filled the water and food bowls, found a spot to keep the food, and started setting up the litter box.

“Where are you putting it?” Thranduil asked with a raised eyebrow as he set the kettle on the warming stove, obviously seeing his son was putting the box down by the counter.

“This will be a good spot for down here. Potty near the food. How can that go wrong?” he answered.

“It’s going to stink.”

“Not really. The litter is scented, so it’ll cover the poop smell if there is one, but I’ll have it spotless, dad, don’t worry. It won’t disturb your appetite. Speaking of,” he looked down at Bard who was walking out of the kitchen after only taking up a few laps of water with his tongue. “I guess he doesn’t have one right now. Hey, where are you going?” Legolas followed after the curious cat.

 

Thranduil was sitting in the front alcove in his favorite reclining chair with a book one hand and is mug of steaming tea in the other. He’d stripped himself of his tie and blazer by now and a few buttons of his shirt were undone. He’d left Legolas and Bard who were presumably still in the living room where they’d been playing with some of the toys Legolas picked out at the shop and now he had a bit of relaxation time to himself. For a while, he could still hear the faint jingling of the bell on Bard’s collar, but soon he was so engrossed in the text that he forgot all about it and the annoying clerk at the pet shop.

He was only broken from his concentration as his cellphone rang on the small table beside him. He checked the number and didn’t recognize it. For his business phone that may be typical, but for his personal one, it was unusual. He sighed, preparing to hang up on a telemarketer or wrong number.

“Thranduil Greenleaf.” He answered flatly.

“Hello, hello, Mr. Greenleaf.” A sweet voice answered and the blonde relaxed immediately, a smirk coming to his lips. “Has something upset you, or were you planning to greet me so rudely?” the young voice mused.

“I did not recognize the number. My apologies, Meludir.” Thranduil said in a tone so deep it was almost sensual, and he meant it sincerely.

“I was hoping no one had made you unhappy, though I’m sure I could fix it if someone did.”

“Are you sure?” Thranduil inquired, playing into the little game and he could hear the young man on the other end grinning.

“Oh yes, I’m very sure.”

“Unfortunately I’m in a fine mood at the moment.”

“I’m sure you could be happier.”

“Perhaps. What did you call for?”

“I wanted to make sure our plans were still solid for our evening on Saturday.”

“Of course. Is that all?”

“Mm, well I was just thinking of you. I have been ever since I gave you my number.”

“I called you and set up a date for us, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but I haven’t seen you.” Meludir pouted.

“Soon enough. The wait may just be worth your while.”

“Oh, I do hope so, Mr. Greenleaf.”

“I’ll see you Saturday, seven o’clock.”

When Thranduil hung up and set the phone down, he grimaced at himself. Ever since he’d had the encounter with the younger man who flirted with him and gave him his phone number in a manner in which Thranduil couldn’t refuse, he’d been debating with himself if he’d made the right decision in making a date with Meludir.

He was acquainted with him before they met in the street from a few years back; Meludir graduated from Legolas’ high school three years prior. He wasn’t sure if Meludir and his son had ever spoken, but he knew for a fact they were not friends. Still, he felt odd about pursuing such an offer. The young man was very young, young enough to be his own son. That was only part of why he felt uneasy about it all.

He also hadn’t been out with too many people with romantic intentions since the passing of his wife. He’d tried a few times to do…something. He wasn’t sure what he wanted. Did he want a new life mate? Someone to keep around just to have someone there to go on dates with and talk to? Did he just want to rid himself of his urges?  He was certain none of the people he’d met were people he wanted to share the rest of his life with or even some of it. He didn’t want to keep people around and mislead them just because they were lonely. He couldn’t even if he wanted to because he didn’t have much luck finding anyone he liked to a great extent. Only one thing was for sure: if he went on the date with Meludir, the old flame of passion and lust that flared inside of him from time to time would rise again.

The young man had made his intentions awfully clear when approaching Thranduil and at the time, the older man didn’t mind it at all. Meludir was extremely attractive: thin and pretty with a youthful face, feline like eyes, and a smile so cute it actually made the man swoon. The way he flipped is hair was too adorable to resist. Thranduil was only human, easily pulled under a wave of passion if appealed to in the correct manner that turned him on and into a ball of tangible clay.

He had no reason to feel bad. Normal people went on dates with people and tested the waters all the time with others of different ages and genders. It was perfectly normal, healthy, and natural to put yourself out there and try new things! Yes, this was good for him…but then why was he so hesitant, he pondered? He always harbored this sickening apprehension regarding romance and the like. Did fear hold him back? There were so many fears he wanted to avoid confronting…silence.

He silenced his thoughts by standing and heading toward the living room to check up on the two rascals. What he found was Legolas in a light slumber on the floor with a toy in his hand and Bard perched up on the window sill, his eyes fixed on the outdoors. The cup of tea he’d fixed for Legolas sat unfinished on the glass coffee table the young blonde was sprawled out next to.

Thranduil stood in the doorway watching his son’s chest slowly rise and fall as he often did when Legolas was a baby, a child…well, he still watched him sleep even now from time to time, it was true. He just looked so at ease, so pure, and so young. As much as he cherished their relationship together, there were moments where Thranduil wished Thranduil was younger, more naïve, and small and willing enough to let his father cart him around.

Oh, how the heart aches for so many things.

He smiled softly before looking up from Legolas’ resting form to the cat by the window. Bard hadn’t noticed his presence there, or had chosen not to. The tall man remained ignored until he got to the couch. Bard spun his head around fast. By the look Thranduil saw flash in his eyes, he looked as it he would pounce for a brief moment, but as he recognized it was only Thranduil, he visibly calmed and looked back out the window.

“Skittish little thing, aren’t you?” Thranduil said quietly before laying a blanket from the couch over his sleeping son. He then approached the window to stare as Bard did, but as he stood there, Bard lifted his head to stare at the blonde instead. Thranduil absently pat the cat’s head and rubbed him behind the ears.

All was quiet. Only breath filled the room and only breath moved. Life was still…no, not quite. _Thranduil’s_ life was still. Legolas’ life was fast and ever changing. Each day, he blossomed and neared real adulthood. Thranduil would enjoy the tranquility and consistency of his life as long as he could until it eventually became something he hated. That day would eventually come and that would be the day he was all alone.

Bard’s soft purring shattered his trance, and Thranduil was grateful. He hated thinking of such melancholic things. He traced his thumb along Bard’s neck in massaging fashion and the cat craned his neck with a meow, clearly enjoying it. Thranduil smiled and continued the movement until his thumb and his legs grew tired. He turned away from the window and let his eyes slide over Legolas before deciding not to wake him. If he had fallen asleep in such a way, he must have needed the rest.

Before starting dinner, he would review some of his material for the presentation he was giving tomorrow at work and he would do it outside, since it was lovely weather. He only took a few steps before a trickling sound caught his attention. He looked over his shoulder and saw Bard trailing behind him. He didn’t think anything of it until he started up the staircase and heard the bell bouncing behind him still. He stopped and turned to quirk a brow at the little brown cat who had also halted on the steps. They were looking each other in the eyes and held the connection for a long time.

“You better not make your own bathroom up here.” Thranduil spoke plainly and Bard curled around his leg. “No, no. Come now.” Thranduil lifted his leg from the cat’s warm body around it and continued up and up, but he grumbled as the cat started weaving through his steps as he walked. He jumped and meowed, very entertained by the game he’d created, but Thranduil was not so tickled. “Stop that.” He scolded, giving Bard a light push away with his foot, but the cat was relentless. He grunted and leaned over, picking up the furball and holding him in his arms so he didn’t trip and fall because of his ridiculous fascination with hindering his steps. He carried Bard as walked the rest of the duration of the stairs and then let him down once he was safely up.

He veered to his office and gathered the notes he needed with haste so he could have his eye on the cat and make sure he got back downstairs, since there would be no one to supervise him there…well, there would be no one to do that downstairs either, seeing as his other owner was asleep. Thranduil didn’t trust the animal enough to leave him alone just yet. When he spun around to leave, he gasped in surprise at seeing Bard right at his feet and almost stumbling over him _again_.

“No!” Thranduil reprimanded and Bard looked up at him with no regret in his eyes, his tail swaying back and forth contently.

Bard hopped down the stairs next to him as he descended and followed him to the back door. Thranduil paused before opening the door and letting the cat pursue him further outdoors; he needed to be watched by someone, even if the vigilance was sparse. He figured Bard wouldn’t be able to get into as much trouble outside as inside anyway, but he immediately changed his mind as he thought about all the trouble Bard could get into with bugs, plants, and the pool. He swooped the cat up under one arm and laid himself down upon a padded bench amongst the gardens. Bard laid on the man’s chest as he flipped through the pages of his notes and reviewed them. Bard watched him closely, especially when Thranduil spoke aloud to himself when he came to certain points to ensure he had them properly rehearsed. Thranduil ignored the cat’s staring until he apparently became bored and started inching closer to Thranduil’s face.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Thranduil asked and peered down at the wide eyed animal from behind his documents with a frown. Bard meowed and pat at Thranduil’s draping locks, his claws catching quickly and making Thranduil yelp quietly in pain. He removed Bard’s paw and squeezed it as he looked him in those yellow eyes of his and said “ _No_.”.

Something colorful fluttering into his vision caught his eye and Bard’s sight followed. As Bard spotted the butterfly hovering near them, he sat upright and followed its movements with fascination. As the winged creature brushed Bard’s ear, the cat twitched and shook its head which brought a faint smile to Thranduil’s face. His pleasant expression was quickly swiped away as Bard leapt for the butterfly and landed his butt right on Thranduil’s face.

“AGH!” Thranduil yelled out, but his rising annoyance was muffled by the fur on his mouth.

He promptly let his papers fall to the ground and lifted the cat with both hands. Of course Bard showed no remorse…he almost looked as if he were _smiling_. He meowed and Thranduil rolled his eyes at the innocent noise.

“Nice try. Your cuteness won’t save you every time, you know.” Thranduil said and took the opportunity to examine Bard’s scars deep under the fur that grew around them.

Now that he examined them more closely, he could tell that the wounds that had once been there instead of a healed scar had been made by an animal. Perhaps the old many hadn’t lied about Bard’s backstory. Perhaps. There was no real way of knowing. He gave a soft exhale through his nose before placing the cat back down on his chest and petting the top of his head. “If you’ve really seen the things that clerk says you have, then I’m deeply sorry, but you can’t be sitting on people’s face.” He spoke gently and Bard laid down, stretching out his legs and resting his chin where Thranduil’s skin was exposed through his few open buttons in the center dip of the man’s collarbone. He felt the breath from Bard’s nose beating down on his skin and it tickled a bit. He chuckled lightly and Bard perked his head up in alarm. Thranduil pat his head to encourage him to lay back down. The cat did just so and Thranduil let the wild little thing sleep on him. If this was the extent of Bard’s rambunctiousness, Thranduil would be able to tolerate him.

 

Thranduil felt confident upon returning home the next evening after he’d given a splendid and flawless presentation that closed one of the biggest deals the company had ever made. He was showered with praised from his coworkers and his superiors which gave Thranduil all the more reason to believe he’d be promoted soon. There had been hints dropped here and there about the raise in position and nothing had been said for sure about it, but now that he’d been asked to dinner by his boss to discuss his future with the company and Thranduil had offered to host it himself in his home, he was sure that a promotion was already swirling above his palm. All that was left to do was to slowly close his fingers around it and take it fully into his fist to secure it for his own. It wasn’t his dream job, but it was an exciting opportunity nonetheless and he couldn’t wait to tell Legolas all about it. He’d be invited to the dinner of course and everything would be perfect.

As he meandered throughout the house looking for his son, he found a bunch of new odds and ends scattered around like cat beds and toys, but Legolas was nowhere to be found. Legolas had sent him a text message earlier in the late afternoon saying one of his friends, Tauriel, had some kind of emergency and so he’d be leaving and didn’t know when he would be returning, but Thranduil hadn’t expected him to still be out. He shrugged it off; Legolas was a young adult with a license and a car, free to do what he wanted…but _oh_. Thranduil remembered the cat was still around, causing mischief no doubt. The last time he’d seen Bard was that morning before he left for work sleeping with Legolas in his bed, but with all the events of the day, he’d forgotten the cat existed at all.

Before he could even begin scouring the lower level, he stopped dead in his tracks as he heard a loud thumping upstairs. The first thought he had was maybe Legolas was home, but that thought was instantly chased away as he remembered his car hadn’t been in the driveway when Thranduil had pulled in and Legolas was not one to be excessively noisy unless he fell, but that was rare. Legolas was so clumsy it was ridiculous and he was admittedly so, but he usually managed to catch himself. Thranduil would have guessed the cat was making a ruckus upstairs, but then the sound he heard above turned into a clear pattering of _footsteps_. _Someone was in his house._

Fury flowed through his veins; not only was someone trespassing in his home, but if Legolas had been home, he could have been in danger. Whoever it was lurking upstairs was a fool to have tried to pull whatever scheme they were attempting on Thranduil Greenleaf. He grabbed a knife from its place in its holder from the kitchen and vowed to make the stranger regret ever even considering his home as a target. He refused to let the intruder get away without consequence. Thranduil gripped the knife in his hand and with swift stealth, he came to the arched doorway and looked out into the foyer. The coast was clear, so he carefully slipped out into the open and crept up the stairs. He wanted to hurry, but he wouldn’t dare risk revealing his presence; a well-deserved surprise attack is just what the invader needed to learn a lesson. Perhaps there would be no learning involved, depending on how the situation played out. Death may just suit the stranger well enough.

Thranduil paused before stepping up into the top level, scoping out the premises for the invader prowling about. There was no one, so he slid to the side of the hall and pinned himself close to the wall. Typically, every door was closed if no one was home and now every single one of them was open. Of course tracking the stranger down had to be difficult. Thranduil kept his sight on the open rooms across the hall as he inched to the others on his side before looking in the ones directly next to him. He sleuthed into each one, finding nothing but an unoccupied room time and time again, but the lumbering noises were becoming louder as he moved down the corridor. He was getting close.

He saw a shape moving across his own bedroom with speed and heard the creaking of his bed. He dashed across the hall and lingered outside the half open door as he let his energy blossom into a full blown rage. When the boiling point came, he kicked the door in and swept into the room with the intent to maim and kill.

A startled yelp pierced his ears and he came to an abrupt halt, seeing a man in his bed wearing nothing but a _blue collar with a bowtie and a silver bell attached_.

Thranduil froze, letting his eyes scan up and down the tan, bare figure sitting prettily on his disaster of a bed with blankets and pillows askew and his ties, socks, and underwear scattered all over. The brown curls that dangled above the man’s shoulders were an absolute mess and he had patches of facial hair all over his face. A blush seized Thranduil’s normally pale cheeks as he looked into the wide, glimmering, golden-hazel eyes that stared at him with bewilderment. Thranduil was utterly stunned, unsure of what to do. Maybe on some other day he wouldn’t mind that an attractive man had found his way into his house and had been waiting for him in his bedroom stripped naked, but today he most certainly minded because something about him was _unnatural_ , _inhuman_. That unnatural and inhuman something was the pair of cat ears twitching on top of his head and the tail swaying from his round, beautiful back end. This couldn’t be real.

“MISTER, YOU’RE HOME!” the man yelled excitedly with a blinding grin and Thranduil jumped in surprise at the loud exclamation. The stranger crawled to the end of the bed and reached up to Thranduil, wrapping his arms around his neck and nuzzling his head into the blonde hair resting on his chest. “You scared me, but wow, am I happy to see you!”

 


End file.
